


A New Hope

by goandgetthegun



Series: The Force Binds Us [1]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Multi, Polyamory, Pre-OT3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 15:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5631781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goandgetthegun/pseuds/goandgetthegun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows canon events that take place within Star Wars: A New Hope, with elaborations on the relationships between the three heroes of the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Binary Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> I own none of the story on which this is based or any of the dialogue spoken, obviously, but it's very near and dear to my heart, and I didn't really see a fic like this on here so I'm going to try to write it the way I see it.

‘ _The rebellion is spreading, and I want to be on the side that I believe in_ ’ Biggs’ words from earlier echo through Luke’s thoughts as he plays with his model T-16. His own T-16, the only symbol of his freedom, sits in pieces in the next bay over. ‘ _What good is all your uncle’s work if the Empire takes it over?_ ’ Luke is restless, has been his whole life. Always longing for something _more_ , an uncontrollable draw to action and excitement. And yet, here he sits, cleaning two new droids for the farm as his friends, one by one, leave to join the fight he desperately needs to be a part of. 

“It just isn’t fair,” he says aloud as he sets the toy down on the table next to him, “Biggs is right, _I’m never going to get out of here,_ ” he continues as he stands. The words sting as he says them, and the thought that maybe this really is all there is for him turns his stomach. 

“Is there anything I might do to help?” the protocol droid asks from the oil bath as Luke fusses with the gauges on the wall. 

“No,” Luke answers as he turns to the other droid, “not unless you can alter time to speed up the harvest, or teleport me off this rock,” he says as he kneels on the floor. It’s meant as a joke, but the attempt at humor is lost on all of them. 

“I don’t think so, sir,” the protocol droid says, “I’m only a droid, and not very knowledgeable about such things, not on this planet, anyway. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure which planet I’m on.” 

“Well,” Luke starts as he tries to scrape residue off the smaller droid, “if there’s a bright center to the universe, you’re on the planet that it’s farthest from.” 

“I see, sir,” the protocol droid answers.

“You can call me Luke,” Luke says as he stands again.

“I see, Sir Luke,” the protocol droid corrects himself as Luke digs through one of the tool boxes. 

“No,” Luke can’t help but laugh, “just Luke,” he says with a smile as he finds the tool he’s looking for. 

“Oh, and I am C-3PO, human-cyborg relations,” C-3PO says as he is lifted from the oil bath, “and this is my counterpart, R2-D2.” Luke kneels in front of R2-D2 again and begins cleaning out one of the droids ports.

“Hello,” Luke says as he gestures to R2-D2 with the tool in his hand. R2-D2 beeps what Luke guesses is a greeting and he gets back to work, “you’ve got a lot of carbon scoring in here. Looks like you boys have seen a lot of action.”

“With all we’ve been through,” C-3PO starts and Luke is barely listening, droids are hardly what he would consider good company, but he is glad to have someone other than his aunt or uncle to talk to at the moment, “sometimes I’m amazed we’re in as good condition as we are. What with the rebellion and all.” Luke whips around to face C-3PO, unsure if he actually heard what he thought he did.

“You know of the rebellion against the Empire?” Luke asks as he stands.

“That’s how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, sir,” C-3PO answers as R2-D2 whistles behind them. Luke’s mind is racing, he has a million questions.

“Have you seen many battles?” he asks, his heart pounding with excitement.

“Several, I think,” C-3PO answers, “actually there is not much to tell,” Luke’s heart sinks, of course the only two droids from the rebellion without any stories are the ones he happened to get. “I’m not much more than an interpreter, and not very good at telling stories,” C-3PO continues as Luke kneels back down to clean R2-D2, “well, not at making them interesting anyway.” 

“Well, my little friend,” Luke groans, straining to pry something out of the droid’s port, “you’ve got something jammed in here real good.” R2-D2 beeps a response Luke doesn’t understand, “were you on a Starcruiser or-” Out of nowhere Luke feels a jolt in his hand, he jumps back against the floor as a beam of blue light shines from R2-D2. 

“ _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,_ ” a woman’s voice plays as a tiny blue recording moves on the floor next to him. 

“What’s this?” Luke wonders out loud as he points to the recording, he looks back and forth between the droids as R2-D2 beeps.

“‘ _What is what?’_ He asked you a question. What is that?” C-3PO asks gesturing toward the woman. Luke looks at her again as she repeats her message, he has never seen anyone who looks like her. R2-D2 beeps again but Luke isn’t listening.

“He says it’s nothing sir, merely a malfunction,” C3-PO says, “old data, pay it no mind.”

“Who is she?” Luke asks as he moves to sit on one of the steps behind him, not taking his eyes off her, “she’s _beautiful._ ”

“I’m afraid I’m not quite sure, sir,” C-3PO answers as the woman repeats her message again, “I think she was a passenger on our last voyage. A person of some importance, I believe. Our Captain was attatched-”

“Is there any more to this recording?” Luke interrupts, gesturing toward the woman. R2-D2 whistles and beeps in response. 

“Behave yourself, R2. You’re going to get us into trouble,” C-3PO warns as he steps closer to R2-D2, “it’s alright. You can trust him, he’s our new master.” 

It’s strange, he doesn’t know how to explain it, but as he watches her message repeat again and again, he feels himself being drawn to her, like he’s seen her before in some long forgotten dream. 

“He says he is the property of Obi-Wan Kenobi, a resident of these parts,” C-3PO says and Luke tears himself from his thoughts to listen, “and it’s a private message for him. Quite frankly, sir, I don’t know what he’s talking about. Our last master was Captain Antilles, but with all we’ve been through, this little R2 unit has become a bit eccentric.” 

“ _Obi-Wan Kenobi_ ,” Luke says, “I wonder if he means Old Ben Kenobi.”

“I beg your pardon, sir, but do you know what he’s talking about?” C-3PO asks, pulling Luke from his thoughts again.

“Well, I don’t know anyone named Obi-Wan,” Luke says as he stands, “but Old Ben lives out beyond the Dune Sea,” he continues, walking over to his tool box again, “he’s kind of a strange old hermit.”

“ _Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope,_ ” the recording repeats again from the floor.

 _I wonder who she is_ Luke thinks to himself, “it sounds like she’s in trouble, I better play back the whole thing,” he says as he makes his way back to R2. R2-D2 beeps in protest and Luke steps back putting his hands up in defense.

“He says the restraining bolt has short circuited his recording system,” C-3PO offers, “he suggests that if you remove the bolt, he might be able to play back the entire recording.”

“Hmm?” Luke asks, pulling himself away from the recording again, “oh yeah. Well, I guess you’re too small to run away on me if I take this off,” he says as he leans down to pry the restraining bolt from R2, “okay,” he groans as it pops off, “there you go.” The recording immediately disappears.

“Wait a minute, where’d she go?” Luke asks, “bring her back, play back the entire message!” 

“What message?” C-3PO asks as R2 beeps, “the one you’ve just been playing!” He says as he slams his hand down on R2, “the one you’re carrying inside your rusty innards!”

“Luke!” Aunt Beru’s voice echos through the halls as they turn to the door, "Luke!"

“Alright, I’ll be right there, Aunt Beru,” Luke yells back.

“I’m sorry, sir,” C-3PO says, “but he appears to have picked up a slight flutter,” he continues, as he turns to R2.

“Here,” Luke says, handing C-3PO a tool, “see what you can do with him, I’ll be right back," he says and jogs out of the garage.

“You know, I think that R2 unit we bought might have been stolen,” Luke says as he steps into the dining room. Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru are already seated at the table waiting for him. 

“What makes you think that?” Uncle Owen asks as Luke takes his seat. 

“Well, I stumbled upon a recording while I was cleaning him,” Luke explains as he dishes himself some dinner, “he says he belongs to someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Owen and Beru share a look across the table as Luke continues, “I thought he might have meant Old Ben. Do you know what he’s talking about?” Luke asks as he turns to his uncle. Uncle Owen grunts and shakes his head.

“I wonder if he’s related to Ben-”

“That wizard is just a crazy old man,” Owen cuts him off, “tomorrow, I want you to take that R2 unit to Anchorhead and have it’s memory erased. That’ll be the end of it. It belongs to us now.”

“But what if this Obi-Wan comes looking for him?” Luke asks.

“He won’t,” Owen assures, “I don’t think he exists anymore. He died about the same time as your father.” 

“He knew my father?” Luke asks, unable to stop himself from jumping to that conclusion at the mention of his father. Neither his aunt or uncle ever told him much about his parents, only that his father worked on a spice freighter and that they were both killed when he was very young. When he would ask questions, he would be turned away and told not to worry about it. 

“I told you to forget it,” Owen warns, “your only concern is to prepare those new droids for tomorrow. In the morning, I want them up there on the south ridge, working on those condensers.”

“Yes, sir,” Luke huffs. Defeated, he turns back to his dinner, “I think those droids are gonna work out fine. In fact, I, uh, was also thinking about our agreement, about me staying on another season? And if these new droids work out, I want to transmit my application to the academy this year,” Luke can’t help but feel hopeful, maybe this is his chance to get out.

“You mean the next semester before the harvest?” Owen asks.

“Sure, there’s more than enough droids,” Luke all but pleads. 

“Harvest is when I need you the most,” Owen answers, “it’s only one season more. This year we’ll make enough on the harvest that I’ll be able to hire some more hands and then you can go to the academy next year. You must understand I need you here, Luke.”

“But it’s a whole other year!” Luke argues, feeling the last bits of his hope slipping from his grasp.

“Look, it’s only one more season-” Owen says as Luke pushes his plate away from him and stands.

“Yeah, that’s what you said when Biggs and Tank left,” Luke says as he turns to leave.

“Where are you going?” Aunt Beru asks from behind him. 

“Looks like I’m going nowhere. I have to go finish cleaning those droids,” Luke says as he walks out of the room. It’s always going to be _one more year_ , a never ending cycle of promises that keeps him stranded on this rock while the life he longs for goes on without him, out in the stars. 

It’s dusk now, the suns are setting low on the horizon of the Dune Sea, washing the dusty land in a dim violet light as they sink in front of him. Luke kicks at the rocks in the sand as he walks to the edge of the pit. He looks out over the desert to the red and purple binary sunset, knowing that beyond those stars is a whole galaxy of adventure waiting for him. A war for freedom being fought without him, while he sits in this prison and does nothing.

Luke turns away, leaving the hope for a life beyond this farm behind him. 

The garage is quiet as he walks through the door, there is no sign of the droids he left there. He presses the button on the remote, activating the restraining bolts.

“Oh!” C-3PO says as he steps out from behind a speeder.

“What are you doing hiding back there?” Luke asks.

“It wasn’t my fault, sir. Please don’t deactivate me, I told him not to go, but he’s faulty, _malfunctioning_. He kept babbling on about ‘ _his mission_ ,’” C-3PO begs. 

“Oh no,” Luke groans as he turns and runs back out of the garage.

“That R2 unit has always been a problem,” C-3PO says as he steps up behind Luke, “these astrodroids are getting quite out of hand. Even I can’t understand their logic at times.”

“How could I be so stupid,” Luke wonders aloud as he scans the horizon for a sign of R2, “he’s nowhere in sight,” he says as he lowers the binoculars, “blast it,” he curses under his breath.

“Pardon me, sir, but couldn’t we go after him?” C-3PO suggests.

“It’s too dangerous with all the Sand People around, we’ll have to wait until morning,” Luke explains, looking out over the dark desert.

“Luke!” Uncle Owen’s voice calls out from inside, “I’m shutting the power down!” 

“Alright, I’ll be there in a few minutes!” Luke answers, “boy am I gonna get it,” Luke says, turning to C-3PO, “you know that little droid’s going to cause me a lot of trouble.”

“Oh he excels at that, sir,” C-3PO answers. 

“Come on,” Luke says as he heads back inside.


	2. The Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As he searches for his runaway droid, Luke ventures off into the desert where he finds more than he was looking for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own none of the story on which this is based or any of the dialogue spoken, obviously, but it's very near and dear to my heart, and I didn't really see a fic like this on here so I'm going to try to write it the way I see it.

“Look, there’s a droid on the scanner,” Luke says, pointing off into the distance, “dead ahead. It might be our little R2 unit, hit the accelerator!” The landspeeder picks up speed as they race to reach R2 before something happens to him and Luke gets his hide tanned. 

They find R2 in a steep-walled canyon, he doesn’t stop when they pull up next to him, he just keeps waddling toward his destination.

“Hey whoa, just where do you think you’re going?” Luke asks as he hops out of the speeder and jogs over to R2. 

“Master Luke is your rightful owner now,” C-3PO says as R2 beeps his response, “we’ll have no more of this Obi-Wan Kenobi gibberish.” R2 beeps again. “And don’t talk to me of your mission, either. You’re fortunate he doesn’t blast you into a million pieces right here!” C-3PO voice is as close to a yell as his programming will allow.

“No, it’s all right, but I think we’d better go,” Luke says, looking down at the little droid in front of him. R2 whistles and beeps and rocks from side to side. “What’s wrong with him now?” Luke asks, turning to C-3PO. 

“There are several creatures approaching from the southeast,” C-3PO answers over the sound of R2’s warning. 

“Sand People,” Luke guesses as he runs back to the speeder for a weapon, “or worse. Come on, let’s go have a look,” he says, motioning them to follow him up a ridge. 

“Well,” Luke says from the ground as he looks through his binoculars,” there are two banthas down there, but I don’t see any- wait a second,” he continues as one of the Sand People comes into frame, “they’re Sand People alright, I can see one of them now.” Without any warning a dark shape silently moves in front of his view, blocking it completely. He looks up to see what it is and one of them standing in front of him, brandishing a staff high above it’s head. Before he can react it hits him in the stomach sending him falling backwards onto the rocks below. It jumps down and brings the staff down, Luke rolls out of the way just in time. It tries to hit him again, but he manages to dodge another blow. 

It raises it’s staff above it’s head again and lets out a scream that chills the blood in Luke’s veins. It echoes through the canyon to the surrounding desert. Luke scrambles to get away, turning his back on his attacker. Before he has a chance to dodge it, the staff connects with his skull and everything goes black. 

Luke comes to on the ground, he can feel a hand on his shoulder, it’s too gentle to be one of the Sand People. He blinks as his eyes focus on his surroundings.

“Rest easy, son. You’ve had a busy day,” the old man next to him says as Luke sits up, “you’re fortunate to be all in one piece.” Luke rubs the back of his neck as he blinks again, the old man comes into focus.

“Ben?” Luke asks, “Ben Kenobi?” he asks again, already knowing the answer, “boy am I glad to see you.” 

“The Jundland Wastes are not to be traveled lightly,” Ben says as he moves to stand. R2 beeps behind them as he rolls out of the shadows. 

“Tell me, young Luke, what brings you out this far?” Ben asks, helping Luke over to a rock to sit on. Luke’s shoulder is killing him, he rolls his arm in a circle hoping to make it feel better. 

“This little droid,” Luke groans as he sits on the rock, “I think he’s searching for his former master. But I’ve never seen such devotion in a droid before,” R2 beeps as Luke continues, “he claims to be the property of an Obi-Wan Kenobi, is he a relative of yours?” As Luke speaks, Ben’s expression changes from light amusement to something darker, “do you know who he’s talking about?” Luke asks.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” Ben says as he sits back against the rock behind him, “Obi-Wan,” he repeats, his voice has taken on a tone of somber seriousness as he says the name. Luke watches as Ben looks off into the distance, “Now, that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time,” Ben says, “a long time.”  
“I think my uncle knows him. He said he was dead,” Luke says, studying the expression on Ben’s face. 

“Oh, he’s not dead. Not yet,” Ben says with a huff.

“You know him?” Luke asks, curious for answers.

“Well of course I know him,” Ben says, his face is much lighter now as he looks back at Luke, “he’s me,” Ben continues with a smile as he taps on his chest. R2 beeps and rocks and Luke wishes he could understand him. “I haven’t gone by the name of Obi-Wan since, oh, before you were born,”

“Well then,” Luke says gesturing over to R2, “the droid does belong to you.”

“I don’t seem to remember ever owning a droid,” Ben says to R2 and R2 beeps back, “very interesting.” Growling echoes through the canyon again and Ben looks around, “I think we better get indoors,” he says as he stands, “the Sand People are easily startled, but they’ll soon be back, and in greater numbers,” he continues as he makes his way back toward Luke’s speeder. R2 beeps and Luke turns to look at him, then remembers C-3PO is nowhere in sight.

“3PO,” Luke says as he runs to the last place he saw him. He finds C-3PO’s severed arm laying in the sand, Luke picks it up and dusts it off, then they find 3PO nearby covered in sand.

“Where am I?” 3PO asks as Luke and Ben help him sit up, “I must have taken a bad step.“

“Can you stand?” Luke asks, “we’ve got to get out of here before the Sand People return.”

“I don’t think I can make it. You go on, Master Luke,” 3PO says, turning to Luke, “there’s no sense risking yourself on my account. I’m done for.” R2 hums and Luke has never heard him sound so sad. 

“No you’re not,” Luke says, “what kind of talk is that?” trying his best to be reassuring.

“Quickly, they’re on the move,” Ben says as Luke helps him hoist 3PO up. 

They make it out of the canyon without issue and Ben leads them back to his home. Luke makes quick work of reattaching 3PO’s arm as Ben tells him stories from his past.

“No, my father didn’t fight in the wars. He was a navigator on a spice freighter,” Luke says, as he tinkers with 3PO. 

“That’s what your uncle told you. He didn’t hold with your father’s ideals,” Ben tells him and Luke turns to listen, his curiosity peaked, “thought he should have stayed here and not gotten involved.”

“You fought in the Clone wars?” Luke asks, desperate for anything Ben will tell him about his family. 

“Yes,” Ben says with a laugh, “I was once a Jedi Knight, the same as your father.” 

“I wish I’d known him,” Luke says. He can’t help but wish he could have grown up with his father, living the kind of life he’d always longed for, instead of being stuck with his aunt and uncle in the middle of nowhere. 

“He was the best starpilot in the galaxy,” Ben pauses for a moment, “and a cunning warrior. I understand you’ve become quite a good pilot yourself?” Luke smiles, thankful for the compliment. “And he was a good friend,” Ben continues, “which reminds me,” Ben says as he stands. Luke watches as Ben walks over to a chest in the corner of the room, “your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough. But your uncle wouldn’t allow it,” he says as he digs through the chest, “he feared you might follow old Obi-Wan on some damn fool idealistic crusade like your father did,” Ben stands back up holding something in his hand.

“Sir, if you’ll not be needing me, I’ll close down for a while,” 3PO says from beside Luke.

“Sure, go ahead,” Luke answers as he stands. He walks over to meet Ben halfway, curious to see what he has, “what is it?” Luke asks, looking the object over. 

“It’s your father’s lightsaber. This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight,” Ben says, handing it over to Luke, “not as clumsy or random as a blaster,” Ben continues as Luke turns it over in his hands. He runs his thumb over the button on the side and holds it out in front of him, he presses down and a blade of light appears with an electric crack. “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age,” Ben says as he sits back down. The blade is bright, white-hot blue, it hums in his hand and he can feel the power buzzing through him, he moves it, slicing through the air around him gently, mesmerized by it. 

“For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the old Republic, before the dark times, before the Empire,” Ben tells him, Luke presses the button again, and the blade retracts into the hilt. Luke looks at the shining metal in his hands and takes a seat next to Ben.

“How did my father die?” he asks, Ben looks at him for a moment then looks away before he answers. 

“A young Jedi named Darth Vader, who was a pupil of mine until he turned to evil, helped the Empire hunt down and destroy the Jedi Knights. He betrayed and murdered your father,” Ben pauses, and Luke can’t help but feel an immense loss for the man he never knew, “now the Jedi are all but extinct. Vader was seduced by the dark side of the Force,” Ben continues.  
“The force?” Luke asks.

“The force is what gives the Jedi his power. It’s an energy field created by all living things, it surrounds us, penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together,” Ben explains, R2 beeps and whistles from the corner, bring Luke back to reality. 

“Now let’s see if we can figure out what you are, my little friend,” Ben says as he stands and walks over to where R2 waits, “and where you come from,” he says as he pats R2. The blue recording beams out of R2 again, onto the table in the middle of the room. 

“I saw part of the message he was-” Luke says with his back turned as he works on C-3PO’s arm. 

“I seem to have found it,” Ben says and Luke turns to look. 

“General Kenobi,” the woman says, “ years ago, you served my father in the Clone Wars, now he begs you to help him in his struggle against the Empire,” Luke listens as she speaks, feeling the same unexplainable pull to her, “I regret that I am unable to present my father’s request to you in person. But my ship has fallen under attack and I’m afraid my mission to bring you to Alderaan has failed. I have placed information vital to the survival of the Rebellion into the memory system of this R2 unit. My father will know how to retrieve it. You must see this droid safely delivered to him on Alderaan. This is our most desperate hour, help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you are my only hope.” Luke watches as the woman looks over her shoulder and bends down to stop the recording.

Ben sits back in his seat and looks over at Luke, “you must learn the ways of the Force, if you are to come with me to Alderaan,” he says after a long silence.

“Alderaan?” Luke asks, “I’m not going to Alderaan,” he laughs as he stands, “I’ve got to get home. It’s late, I’m in for it as it is.”

“I need your help, Luke,” Ben says as Luke gathers up his things, “ _she_ needs your help,” Luke pauses and turns back to Ben, “I’m getting too old for this sort of thing,” he continues. Luke looks from Ben back to the table where the recording of the woman played out. Now that he has the chance, all he feels is guilt, he can’t just leave his family when they need him.

“I can’t get involved,” he says, and it’s physically hurts to say it, “I’ve got work to do. It’s not that I like the Empire, I hate it, but there’s nothing I can do about it right now,” Luke’s voice shakes as he turns down the opportunity he’s been waiting his entire life for, “it’s all such a long way from here.”

“That’s your uncle talking,” Ben says as he looks away from Luke.

“My uncle,” Luke sighs, dropping his hands to his sides, “how am I ever going to explain this?”

“Learn about the force, Luke,” Ben says, and Luke shakes his head.

“Look, I can take you as far as Anchorhead. You can get a transport there to Mos Eisley or wherever you’re going,” Luke offers, as he stands in the doorway.

“You must do what you feel is right, of course,” Ben says and Luke feels even more guilty than before.


	3. Luke's Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke's life changes forever.

Ever since Luke can remember, he never felt like he truly belonged. On this planet, with his aunt and uncle on the moisture farm, it all felt wrong, even with his friends he felt a slight distance. Everyone except for Biggs, Biggs was the only one Luke felt really understood him. He always had a feeling, in the back of his mind, that there was something more for him out there. Something he’s missing. When he found out about the Rebellion, he saw it as his way out, a chance to make a difference. 

But now that the opportunity he’s waited his whole life for is in front of him, he can’t bring himself to leave. 

Ben accepts Luke’s offer for a ride into Anchorhead. They pack up the speeder and Ben doesn’t have much to say to him anymore, which makes Luke feel even worse. They sit in silence as they speed back across the dry, sandy terrain of the Dune Sea. 

Over the crest of a dune, one of the giant sandcrawlers that roam the area comes into view. It’s not moving, which is strange, they’re always moving unless the Jawas are making a sale. But there is no one around here as far as they can see. There are spots on the ground scattered around it, the scene peaks Luke’s curiosity, he suggests they check it out and Ben just nods. As they get closer, he can see the spots on the ground are tiny corpses and debris littered in the sand. 

“Could be Sand People,” Luke suggests as he climbs out of the speeder. He steps around the bodies as he makes he way closer to the sandcrawler, “look there’s gaffi sticks, bantha tracks. It’s just, I’ve never heard of them hitting thing this big before.”

“They didn’t,” Ben says from behind him. Luke turns around curious to hear Ben’s theory, “but we are meant to think they did,” he continues as he makes his way through the debris, “these tracks are side-by-side, Sand People always ride single-file, to hide their numbers.”

“These are the same Jawas that sold us R2 and 3PO,” Luke says as he surveys the scene.

Ben grabs Luke’s shoulder and steers him back toward the sandcrawler, “and these blast points, too accurate for Sand People. Only Imperial stormtroopers are so precise,” he says, pointing to the black marks on the metal.

“But why would Imperial troops want to slaughter Jawas?” Luke asks as he runs his hand over the damaged metal in front of him, suddenly Luke stops in his tracks, “if they traced the robots here, they may have learned who they sold them to, and that would lead them back, home,” his stomach drops as the last word leaves his lips. He runs back to the speeder, not bothering to wait for any of them. 

“Wait, Luke! It’s too dangerous!” Ben bellows after him, but Luke isn’t listening. As he speeds across the desert, he just keeps repeating ‘ _no, no, no,_ , like somehow it could make a difference.

Black smoke rises from the doorways as he stops the speeder. Luke yells for them, hoping just maybe, that they managed to escape. As he steps closer to the farm, the smell of burning chemicals mixed with burnt flesh hits him, it turns his stomach and his heart sinks. When he finds his aunt and uncle, all that’s left are charred skeletons, frozen in their final moments. Luke barely makes it back the speeder before he drops to his knees in the sand and heaves until his stomach is empty.

At that moment, he decides what he needs to do. Luke starts the speeder again and leaves the only family and home he had ever known, in ruins behind him. 

“There’s nothing you could have done, Luke, had you been there,” Ben says as Luke steps up to him, “you’d have been killed too, and the droids would now be in the hands of the Empire.” Luke knows Ben’s words are true, but he can’t help but feel responsible. 

“I want to come with you to Alderaan,” Luke says quietly,”there’s nothing for me here, now,” it really hits him when he says it out loud. _Nothing_ , he’s finally free but he never wanted it at this cost. Luke pauses for a moment, considering all the possibilities in front of him, “I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi, like my father,” he says and Ben smiles at him softly as he rests his hand on Luke’s shoulder, a comforting gesture he is grateful for. 

They make it to Mos Eisley in good time. Luke tries to push the pain of his loss down and focus on the excitement of it all, this is a new beginning. The streets are crowded with colorful assortments of different races, there are shops and carts selling exotic wares everywhere he looks. It’s not the first time he’s ever been to Mos Eisley, but it feels different this time. 

As they make their way to their destination, they are stopped by a squad of stormtroopers conducting searches. 

“How long have you had these droids?” one of them asks as they surround the speeder. Luke can feel his pulse racing in his hands as he grips the wheel tight, thinking of a lie. 

“About three or four seasons,” Luke answers. They haven’t even made it off the planet and they’re already caught. 

“They’re up for sale if you want them,” Ben adds.

“Let me see your identification,” the stormtrooper says as he turns back to Luke, Luke looks over to Ben, not sure what to do.

“You don’t need to see his identification,” Ben says, as he moves his hand in front of him. His voice is completely calm and Luke wonders how he can be so sure of himself.

“We don’t need to see his identification,” the stormtrooper says to the rest of them. Luke turns his head back to look at the trooper, not believing what he’s hearing. 

“These aren’t the droids you’re looking for,” Ben says and Luke waits to see if it will work a second time.

“These aren’t the droids we’re looking for,” the stormtrooper repeats.

“He can go about his business,” Ben says as Luke turns back to him, amazed by what he’s seeing.

“You can go about your business,” the stormtrooper repeats immediately.

“Move along,” Ben says and the stormtrooper steps back and repeats Ben’s words as he waves his hand for them to move. Luke tries not to hit the accelerator too hard and press their luck. Ben directs them to a small building on the edge of town.

“I can’t understand how we got passed those troops,” Luke says as he steps out of the speeder, I thought we were dead.” 

“The force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded,” Ben tells him. 

Luke has a million questions but settles on, “do you really think we’re going to find pilot here that will take us to Alderaan?” As he decides to save the rest for another time. 

“Most of the freighter pilots are to be found here. Only, watch your step, this place can be a little rough,” Ben warns as he nods toward the entrance. 

“I’m ready for anything,” Luke says as he follows Ben into the unknown.


End file.
